Never Letting Go
by Written Fire
Summary: "I love you, Hermione." he told her softly. "And not in the normal way one loves their best friend; what I feel for you is so much more than that."


_I noticed I did not have Ron/Hermione and so decided to do one of them, because I do enjoy them as a couple. :)_

_It's been done for a while actually, but I am just getting around to uploading it..obviously._

_I hope I do them ok!_

**_Disclaimer: _**_I do not own the characters, just the idea. Nor do I own the song!  
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><p>She makes him think of Muggle music. Ron knows that's an odd thing to say, but it's true. She makes him think of one in particular.<p>

The Way You Look Tonight, by Frank Sinatra.

He had first heard the song from Hermione; he found all of his Muggle music from her. He'd liked it instantly. The tone of it, the words, touched him in a way no other had since. His obsession with the song always made her giggle; when he asked her once why, she had just responded "You like the oldies, Ron. The _oldies_," which had set of another round of giggles. So he had asked Harry next, assuming he would know-he would always shake his head at her in response if she did it when he was around. Harry's answer, though, left him just as confused as before, if not worse.

"Oldies, Ron. You just had to choose an oldies," then he would shake his head again, and proceed to tell Hermione to shut it. The last time that happened, she had stuck her tongue out at him-causing an all-out war. Ron was left standing, watching his two best friends and wondering when he had become the mature one.

"A witch, Harry, he called me a _witch_!" Ron looked up from his desk at the sound of her voice, watching as she glided in the door Harry was holding open for her. Watching fury make its way onto Harry's face, Ron felt his confusion start to grow.

"Can you believe some people?" Hermione continued, oblivious to the emotions her two friends were feeling as she set her stuff down on Harry's desk. Shaking her head she sighed.

"Please tell me you did _something_ this time," Harry pleaded, setting his stuff down by hers. Ron frowned. What did he mean, this time? And, assuming that witch didn't mean a good thing with Muggles, did that mean someone had been saying rude things to Hermione?

"Don't worry, Harry, I did," she said mischievously, smirking.

"What did you do?" he asked, a tad warily, in Ron's opinion.

"Oh, I just showed him how much of a _witch_ I am," she stated, examining her finger nails in disinterest.

"Do I want to know?" he finally asked after a few moments of watching her in silence. Hermione grinned in response. "Alright," he said, making Hermione giggle. Ron watched as they settled down, getting their lunch out of the white bag Harry had set on his desk. They had not noticed him yet; as he was not supposed to be here today. He had an appointment that day, which is why he had not joined. It had fallen through, though, and now he sat and watched, wondering how long it would take them to notice him.

It took them all of two seconds. Harry had ripped off a small amount of the wrapping from the top of the straw, and to a roll of the eyes from Hermione, had blown into and made the paper shoot off. It was as they were watching it fly that they saw Ron.

"Ron!" Hermione exclaimed. "I thought you had an appointment?" she asked as she picked up Harry's trash, kissing his cheek on her way back to her seat.

"They didn't show up." he responded, unconsciously giving her the once over.

Harry frowned. "Have you sent an owl?"

"Just did, yeah. Now I'm just waiting on a response." he answered with a sigh.

"Have you had anything to eat yet?" Hermione asked. Ron shook his head. "Come here, then. We can share mine." she smiled. Ron smiled back, standing and bringing his chair with him, setting it next to hers. Hermione moved her food so that it was between the two of them. Picking up a fry, Ron settled back in his seat.

"Where did you get lunch?" he asked once he had swallowed.

"Some new Muggle place." Harry said, Hermione nodding. "It's actually not half bad."

"We've had it at least twice now." she added, sipping at her drink.

"On your Muggle days?" Ron asked.

"Yup." Harry replied, taking a bite of his burger.

Once things had settled down after the war, and the three of them had started their careers, Harry and Hermione took one day out of their week to do something strictly Muggle. No one went with, because it had been made clear-in the nicest way possible-that it was time for just the two of them. It was, in Hermione's own words, them 'getting back to our roots'. Ron at first had not understood. Did that mean she wanted to take the magic out of her life? Did she regret getting the letter? When he had suggested as such, her reaction alone would have been an answer.

It was sheer shock. Disbelief.

"Ron, I don't regret discovering my magic. I could never regret that. How could I? If I had never been enrolled to Hogwarts, I never would have met you. Harry. Everyone here I care about. I love magic, I do. There's just times when I miss the simplicity of a Muggle existence, a Muggle life style….my childhood. I just don't want to forget where I came from." she had informed him softly.

Ron understood that, he did. There was just times when he wished that he could go with them. He understood, though, from the few instances they had been in Muggle London, that his inherited fascination did not help them mingle in. It only drew attention to them. It had taken awhile, but he was finally all right with it.

"It really isn't that bad." he agreed with Harry, after trying a bite of Hermione's hamburger.

"Told ya so." he said. Hermione rolled her eyes. They spent the rest of their lunch hour sitting and eating together, the sound of their laughter ringing throughout the room. It was a pleasurable afternoon, one of the best they had had together for a while.

"Are you two going to the charity ball tonight?" Hermione asked later, as she started gathering her stuff to head back to work.

"What's it about again?" Harry asked, while Ron made a face.

"It's to raise money for those orphaned by the war." she stated, looking under Harry's desk for her purse.

"Oh." Ron and Harry shared a look. "Yeah." Ron stated for them both, watching as Hermione straightened, purse in one hand as she moved her hair out of her face with the other.

"I'll be seeing you there then. I'm getting ready with Ginny at the Burrow." she explained at their confused looks. They lived in an apartment together; Harry just was not ready to live at Grimmauld Place quite yet. Eventually, he had told them, but he really wanted to clean the place up first. And as of yet, everyone was too busy for that.

Stretching on tip toe Hermione kissed Ron on the cheek, kissing Harry's next. "Bye boys." she waved at them over her shoulder, leaving the room.

"Bye." they called. Ron turned to Harry the moment she was gone.

"Did you know about this?" he asked. Harry shook his head. "Me either." he sighed. "How hard is it, you think, to find a tux within the next couple hours?"

"Shouldn't be too hard. Though I would suggest going to a Muggle store." Harry said after thinking about it. "Meet up out front after work?" he suggested.

"Alright." Ron agreed.

The day passed faster than Ron was prepared for. Not long after everyone had come back from lunch, an owl had come carrying a reply. He had left immediately, and handling that interview had ended up being more stressful than Ron had imagined. He had left in a bad mood, no further in his investigation than he had been going in. It was slightly relieved in the time he spent with Harry looking for tuxes, but had not yet left him by the time eight o'clock had rolled around.

Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, Ron looked at himself in the tux. He didn't look bad, he supposed-he certainly looked better than he had at the Yule Ball-but he could not help but wonder if a certain brunette would think so, too.

"Ron? You ready?" Harry asked from the doorway, straightening the cuffs on his own.

"Yeah. We're meeting the girls there, right?" he turned to face him.

Harry nodded. "That's what Gin said. Want to apparate or floo?"

"Apparate." he decided after a moment's thought. "Don't want to get it dirty." he added, following Harry out.

"Good idea. See you in a few then." he said, leaving with a loud crack. Ron followed, popping up beside Harry at the entrance to the hall where the ball was being held.

"Seen them yet?" he asked Harry after minutes of standing there, craning their necks to try and see if they could spot Hermione and Ginny.

"No." Harry sighed. "Wait-I think I just saw red hair." Harry looked in that direction again, hoping to spot his girlfriend. A wide smile appeared on his face a second later, and he left his spot to meet up with her. Ron had to admit, his little sister was looking great that night. The dress looked good on her, and the makeup emphasized her eyes. Her hair was loose and curly, reminding him a bit of Hermione. Thinking of her he looked away from his sister, who was now greeting Harry with a kiss he felt should have been done in private, wondering where she was. She had gotten dressed with Ginny, he knew, so he figured she would be near her somewhere. Frowning when he did not immediately spot her, he was about to leave his spot and interrupt the happy couple when he heard her voice come from behind him.

"You would think they had not seen each other in days, with the way they're going at it." she observed, her voice tinged with amusement as she watched her two friends.

"I know." his frown deepened. Opening his mouth to say something more, he turned around to face her. Feeling as if the breath had been sucked out of his body, he looked at her, forgetting what he was going to say and leaving him with his mouth hanging open.

She looked…beautiful. Stunning_. Breathtaking_. Her hair, which had tamed down some, was done in an elegant up do, a few curls left hanging that framed her face. Her lips were a shade pinker, and she had a light amount of eye shadow on. Her eyelashes had been curled, and mascara was doing its job of making them darker. Her eyes, in Ron's opinion, had a sparkle in them. She had a set of small, simple diamond earrings on, and a matching necklace that ended just above the top of her dress. The dress, he noted, was snug, and emphasized her curves. It was also strapless, and showed off more of Hermione than he was used to seeing. It ended at her ankles, and was a dark shade of blue. She wore heels, so the top of her head reached his chin, instead of his shoulders as normal.

"Ron?" Hermione questioned when he just stood there. Realizing he was staring, Ron snapped his mouth shut, hurriedly bringing his eyes up to hers.

"You look beautiful." he told her sincerely, the tips of his ears red. Hermione smiled, a slight blush tingeing her cheeks.

"Thank you." she smoothed her dress unnecessarily in embarrassment, glancing down at the floor before making eye contact with him again. Setting a hand on his chest to balance herself, she stretched slightly to kiss his cheek.

"You look handsome tonight." she admitted quietly in his ear, sending tingles down his spine. He watched as she stepped back, her hand still resting on his chest. He knew his ears had turned an even darker shade of red, but at that moment did not care. Setting his hand on top of hers, he watched as her eyes drifted shut as he slowly leaned in, her mouth slightly open as she drew in a shaky breath. His lips were almost on hers when they heard Harry's voice from behind Ron, causing Hermione to jump back in shock. Her face flushed she removed her hand from his chest, looking behind him to see their best friend coming towards them.

Ron groaned, silently cursing Harry. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes in frustration. He had been _so close_ to doing what he had wanted to for so long. They had kissed during the battle, yes, but that had been it. After everything had settled down they had just carried on like nothing had happened, despite the fact that Ron really wanted nothing more than to just pull her into his arms and kiss her senseless.

He opened his eyes to see the current focus of his ire standing next to him, a goofy grin on his face as he told Hermione that she looked beautiful and kissed her cheek in greeting. Meeting his sister's eyes as she replied in kind, he saw the same look in hers as there was in his, and he knew his sister had seen what Harry had interrupted. With a quick glance from him to Harry and back, she informed him that she would be saying something to Harry at some point that night. He nodded slightly in thanks, deciding that he would still do something to Harry as payback, regardless of whatever his sister did.

Pointing out that everyone was going inside Ginny linked arms with her boyfriend, leading the way inside. Ron turned back to Hermione, silently offering his arm. She slipped her arm in his, walking with him as they followed the couple inside. He held out her chair for her when they arrived at the table, and was rewarded with that sweet smile that he adored. Sitting beside her he noticed that Harry was on her other side, with Ginny on the other side of him. He did not know who sat on his, and frankly, did not care. All his attention was on his best friend; he was so caught up in staring at her, so lost in his head, that he did not notice that the shindig had started until he heard the applause.

Diverting his attention to the front, he noticed the minister, and figured that he must have made a speech. He paid scarce attention to the rest, his mind on the events of earlier, envisioning what would have had happened had his best friend not interrupted. His imagination running free, Ron fidgeted in his seat as he tried to get comfortable, his face heating up when he felt Hermione glance at him from the corner of her eyes. He knew she was wondering what was wrong, but the images he had just imagined had him too ashamed, too embarrassed, to look her in the eyes. Taking a deep breath to calm himself down, he felt relieved when the menus appeared on their plates, signaling that the beginning portion of the evening was done and it was dinner time.

Opening his menu so he wouldn't have to look at Hermione, Ron pretended to be trying to figure out what to order. He missed her leaning closer to him, and thus was shocked when he suddenly felt her hand on his thigh, her body so close to leaning on his.

"Ron?" she said his name quietly; he could hear the confusion in her voice. He knew that she had felt him stiffen up when she touched him, and knew that she did not understand the reasoning. "Are you alright?"

Biting back a groan, Ron turned his head to look at Hermione, shock coursing through him at how close it was to his own. "I'm ok. Honestly." he added when he saw the disbelief on her face, his voice just as quiet as hers had been. He forced himself to relax, and was rewarded when moments later she drew back, lifting her hand from its position and instead picking up her menu.

"If you say so." she muttered, searching her menu for something that sounded decent. He watched her eyes skim the page, saw them light up when she found something. Hearing her say what she wanted he turned his attention back to his own menu.

"Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and…apple pie. With pumpkin juice." he decided, the menu vanishing from his hand and his desired food appearing on his plate.

Picking up his fork he cut off a bite of his meatloaf, scooping it into his mashed potatoes. Hermione watched in amusement as his eyes closed in bliss; she would swear that if he was not in company there would have been a noise made, too. Hermione giggled when he _did_ make a noise, startling him. The wide eyed look on his face just had her giggling even more, drawing the attention of the table to her.

"'Mi?" Harry asked, looking at his best friend in confusion. Hermione just shook her head.

"Ron's just being…well, Ron." She smiled at them, prompting them to glance his way. It did not take him long to understand, and soon his chuckles could be heard along with her giggles. Ginny made the connection next, laughing along with them.

Ron felt the tips of his ears go red, and shot them all a dirty look before turning his attention back to his food, set on ignoring them. Hermione reached over and tugged on one of his ears affectionately, making them even redder. Not that she noticed though, for her attention was already back to her own food.

The rest of dinner passed without incident and they soon found it was time for the socializing part of the evening. There were a few couples dancing out on the dance floor, and as he watched two more joined the group. Ron looked at Hermione from the corner of his eye, watching her sway slightly as she talked to Ginny. He smiled. He knew she was not consciously doing it and found it to be cute. Taking a deep breath and using some of that courage his house was famous for, Ron turned to her.

"Hermione?" she turned to him, Ginny sending a knowing look at him over her shoulder.

"Ron?" she smiled. He stood and held out his hand to her.

"Would you care to dance?" he asked, becoming nervous when she did not immediately answer.

Hermione looked at his outstretched hand and bit her lip. She wanted to dance with him, yes, but she found herself to be nervous. After the almost kiss earlier, she was not sure how much control she would have over herself if she were to be that close. The choice was taken from her hands when Ginny nudged her none-so-gently in the back, the force of it pushing her forward in her seat. Hermione set her hand in Ron's and saw the relief on his face before he turned and started to the dance floor. Hermione sent a quick glare over her shoulder at Ginny as she followed, sticking her tongue out childishly when the red head just grinned.

When they reached their destination Ron turned and faced her, his free hand settling at her waist as he lifted their connected hands. Hermione set her free hand on his shoulder, smiling up at him as they started waltzing. They were surprisingly quiet throughout their dance, each lost in thought. Hermione did not notice that the song had ended until she heard the clapping around her; she quickly let go of Ron and joined in.

Once he saw that she was done clapping Ron grabbed hold of her hand, holding it tight in his own as he led the way. He did not tell her where he was going and knew that she was curious; Hermione however had decided to just let him lead her wherever. Realizing that they were outside she wondered exactly what he had brought her out there for.

Ron stopped under an archway; from here they could have privacy but the light from inside could still reach them. Still holding her hand in his he turned back to her. Seeing the confusion on her face he smiled.

"What are we doing out here Ron?" she finally asked, after they had just stood staring at each other.

Ron leaned back against the building and shrugged. "You look really beautiful tonight." he said, reaching his free hand up and twisting one of her curls around his finger. "You always do, though." He added, making Hermione blush.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." He released her curl, running the back of his hand across her cheek, feeling her soft skin. Hermione shivered as he brought it down her neck, cupping it. Where his thumb rested he could feel her racing pulse; the evidence that she was just as affected by his touch as he was hers giving him the courage to do what he had been dying to do all night.

Pushing on her neck gently to bring her closer he closed the distance between them, his lips landing on hers in a kiss that started out gently but soon grew heated. Only when their lungs were screaming for air did they drew back, panting. Ron leaned his forehead against hers, his eyes closed. He removed his hands from her hair, moving them down until they were on her waist. He wrapped them around her, laying his head in the crook of her shoulder.

Hermione's hands stayed rested on his chest, where they had ended up at some point during their kiss. She knew her hair looked a mess, but at that moment she could not bring herself to care. She and Ron had just kissed. It was something she had wanted to do again since they had done it the first time but could not bring herself to do. Hermione had feared that he had only responded to her kiss that day because of the heat of the battle; the need to have some kind of good spot in the midst of that horrid day. She realized now that that was not truth; he would not of had kissed her now if that had been the case.

Jumping when Ron shifted, she found herself blinking when he rested his cheek against her own, humming something softly into her ear. Her brow furrowed when she heard it; she knew that song from somewhere. A smile lit her face when he sang it aloud, a warm feeling spreading throughout her body.

_Someday, when I'm awfully low._

_When the world is cold;_

_I will feel a glow just thinking of you,_

_And the way you look tonight._

_Yes you're lovely;_

_With your smile so warm,_

_And your cheek so soft._

_There is nothing for me but to_ _love you,_

_And the way you look tonight._

_With each word, you tenderness grows_

_Tearing my fear apart._

_And that laugh, wrinkles your nose._

_Touches my foolish heart._

_Lovely, never never change._

_Keep that breathless charm;_

_Won't you please arrange it?_

'_Cause I love you,_

_Just the way you look tonight._

Ron hummed the rest of the song as he ran his hands up and down her back. Hermione moved her head to the side, kissing his cheek; bringing her hands up she framed his face, kissing him again with all the emotions she was currently feeling. Ron's hands clenched in the back of her dress, wrinkling it as he brought her closer. Tilting her head to the side to deepen the kiss Hermione slid her hands into his hair and fisted them, bringing him as close to her as she could. Ron's hands had just started to move in a direction that would not be fit for public when the sound of footsteps drawing near brought them apart. Her hands still in his hair Hermione moved back, looking up at him with glassy eyes. The sight of them had Ron swooping in for one more heated kiss before he let go, allowing her to step back.

Looking at them, it was not that hard to guess what they had been doing. Hermione's hair was half out of her do; her lipstick practically nonexistent. Her dress was no longer smooth but had numerous wrinkles in it from where Ron had grabbed it.

Ron looked just as bad. His hair was sticking up on end from having her fingers run through it, and he seemed to be wearing most of her lipstick. His suit jacket was open and his shirt was scrunched up; only half of it still tucked into his pants.

They were both in the process of fixing their clothes when they were found.

"Have you seen them yet?" they heard Harry ask.

"No." they could hear the frown in Ginny's voice.

"I don't see where they could have go—" Harry cut off, standing and looking at his friends in shock.

"Harry?" Ginny asked from behind him, stopping and standing in the same stance as her boyfriend once she saw them. Looking at the state of their hair and clothes she smirked, causing Hermione to blush. "Well. Somebody looks thoroughly snogged." She remarked, her brother now blushing with Hermione.

"So, I guess it is safe to say that you two found something to do to occupy your time?" she asked sweetly, causing Harry to snort.

"Shut up." Ron told them both, making Harry laugh. He finished tucking his shirt back into his pants, straightening his shirt before looking at Hermione. He found that he could not stop a smug grin from spreading on his face. His sister was right, Hermione really did look like she had a good snogging session; the fact that she looked that way because of him had him feeling extremely proud of himself. Taking off his jacket he set it on her shoulders, smiling at the grateful look she sent his way as she slipped her arms through it, properly putting it on.

"So...is everyone leaving?" Hermione asked once she had successfully wrangled her hair up into a bun. It was not as good looking as it had been before, but she figured it would just have to do.

"Yes. Which us why we came to find you." Ginny answered, looking at Hermione's hair. "You may as well just leave it down." she told her, reaching up and releasing her hair from its imprisonment. Ron watched as it tumbled free; it now reached her waist and was currently curlier then it usually was. Sighing, Hermione looked over at Ginny. "No one's going to notice. And if they do: so what? What they think doesn't matter." she said, correctly guessing what her friends look had been about.

"What they think doesn't, no. But what your mother thinks does. She had wanted to see me tonight, remember?" Hermione added when Ginny had looked at her strangely.

"Oh yeah. Don't worry about it; she can wait until tomorrow to hear about how your evening went."

"Yeah..." Hermione sneaked a glance at Ron, blushing when she found him to be staring at her. _No_ _doubt wondering why his mother cared so badly._ she thought.

"Ready to leave, then?" Harry asked Ginny drawing Hermione's attention to him. "I'll see you guys at the house in a few, then." Harry told his best friends when she nodded.

"Bye Ginny." Hermione smiled, watching as they left. She looked at Ron, her blush brightening. "So...ready to leave, then?" she asked, echoing Harry's words from moments ago.

"Yes." he grabbed hold of her hand, holding on tight as he apparated them to their apartment. Hermione had her keys out and in her hands as soon as they were there, unlocking the door and entering before Ron, her hand still held in his. Ron closed the door behind him and watched as she tossed the keys into a bowl she had placed by the door, waiting until they had landed before bringing her close, releasing her hand to wrap his arms around her waist. He knew she was nervous, and he in all honesty was too. But he had wanted to hold her in his arms for too long to not take advantage of the fact that they were alone.

"Ron?" he could hear the question in her voice, could see it in her eyes. He knew what it was she was asking; were they going to cross that line? Were they really willing to risk their friendship on the off chance that there was something greater between them?

"I love you, Hermione." he told her softly. "And not in the normal way one loves their best friend; what I feel for you is so much more than that. When we kissed for the first time…that was the happiest moment of my life." he admitted, reaching a hand up and wiping her tears away.

"Oh, Ron." she whispered, her voice chocked. She cupped his cheeks in her hands, a smile lighting her face. "I love you too. I have for years." she admitted, making Ron grin.

"Thank Merlin." he breathed. His lips met hers in a passionate kiss, one hand resting on her waist while the other clenched in her curls. It was a kiss fraught with emotion; intense. Hermione found herself wishing it would never end, though she knew it would have to eventually. They would have to break for air; Harry would come home; heck, one of them might have to pee. But for now, she was going to enjoy this.

Ron brought her as close to him as he could; he needed her near him. He could not believe this was actually happening; that they had finally confessed their feelings to each other, after so long. Breaking apart for air, Ron watched as her eyes slowly fluttered open. They were hazy, but were looking at him with so much love that he found his hand tightening on her waist. He groaned and kissed her again, unable to stop himself. Holding her to him, wrapped in his arms, Ron came to a conclusion.

Now that they shared that they loved each other, and after these kisses…he was not going to let her go.

Never.

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><p><em>Well, I hope you enjoyed it!<em>

_The song is 'The Way You Look Tonight' by Frank Sinatra. It's a beautiful song and I would highly recommend listening to it!  
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_Reviews would be lovely._


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